Update: Plant Health News (13 Apr 11)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: Rising prices make corn insect control more beneficial Southeast Farm Press, 11 April 2011 Ozone reduces fungal spoilage of fruits and vegetables ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, 11 April 2011 Potential New Pest of Fruit – Spotted Wing Drosophila Weekly Crop Update, 8…
Plant Clinics boost fight against diseases and pests
“Plant clinics boost fight against diseases, pests” – this was the title of a story that appeared in the newspaper Business Daily last week. It was one of many positive articles that were written after a group of journalists were taken to visit some Plant Clinics in Kenya. The article includes examples where the Plant…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (6 Apr 11)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Click on the links to view the abstracts. Characterization of Maize chlorotic mottle Virus associated with maize lethal necrosis disease in China. Xie Li; Zhang JingZe; Wang Qiang; Meng ChunMei; Hong Jian; Zhou XuePing…
Update: Plant Health News (23 Mar 11)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: Switzerland: new health provisions for the import, trade and plant production Anemia, 20 March 2011 Indian Mustard May Be Alternative to Fumigation in Cotton CropBiotech Update, 18 March 2011 Taking plants to the doctor: plant health clinics from Bolivia to Bangladesh R4D…
Plantwise at the IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) Rome
The 6th Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures was held in Rome on 14th –18th of March 2011; CABI was represented by Dr. Phil Taylor who gave a talk entitled “Maintaining global vigilance for pests and diseases”. This talk described the work of the plant clinics and how the clinic data was being added…
Introduction of remote microscopy (RM) into ASEAN Regional Diagnostic Network (ARDN)
The lack of taxonomists is very much a global issue, hence the establishment of the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI) and the BioNET International and its LOOPs. In ASEAN countries, the shortage of in-country taxonomic expertise to identify plant pests and diseases is often compounded by difficulties in access to taxonomic expertise abroad. Thus, ASEANET and…
New Plantwise videos
Today over one billion people are going hungry every day – the majority of these are smallholder farmers who rely entirely on their crops to feed their families. Plantwise aims to help improve food security and reduce poverty by providing knowledge that helps farmers identify pests earlier so that they can control these pests before yields are significantly affected.…
Update: Plant Health News (9 Mar 11)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest news stories about plant health: Mandalotus weevil study Grains Research & Development Corporation – Media release, 8 March 2011 Hidden fusarium threat revealed Farmers Weekly Interactive – Arable News, 7 March 2011 Rust Never Sleeps The Official Blog of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 3 March…
Aid donors join forces to fight wheat rust
Emerging strains of stem rust disease of wheat, such as Ug99, are spreading out of East Africa and threatening the world’s wheat supply. But the fight against this disease received a boost this week from a collaboration between the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The organisations have…
Does rust-free rice hold the secret?
All cereals, except rice, are susceptible to rust. Wheat, maize, barley, millet, triticale, and oats all get rust. The spores of rust fungi land on a host plant, germinate, and grow toward a stomatal pore on the leaf surface to initiate infection. Rust infections produce red or yellow pustulating spores that give infected plants a…